Artefacts

The main part of this section is made up of pre-revolutionary coins of the period from XVIII to the beginning of the XX century, coined at the mints of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Yekaterinburg; the most interesting coins in the collection are those dating to the times of the reign of Peter I.

Due to an active policy of acquisition carried out in the 1970-1980-ies the ... ↓ Soviet period (coins of 1921-1991) is represented almost to a full extent. A separate part of the section containing commemorative and anniversary coins is being constantly updated at present. ↑

The most interesting part of the collection presents samples of talented Russian (Timofey Ivanov, Samoilo Yudin, Fyodor Tolstoy, etc.) and foreign but working in Russia medal artists (Solomon Gouin, Johann Baltsar Gass, Carl Leberecht, Henrich Gube).

The collection displays a wide range of commemorative medals of the Soviet period.

This section of collection includes the signs of educational organizations (civil and military), signs of public institutions and departments, various charitable institutions, societies, unions and committees.

Many signs were fulfilled at high artistic level by famous Russian factories of XIX-XX centuries, such as “Edward”, Wunder brothers’, “E.Courtman”, ... ↓ “D.Osipov”. ↑

This section includes complexes of awards belonging to many outstanding military and political figures of Russia (Pilutov P.A., Pokrishev P.A., Zinchenko A.R., Shikin I.V.) and prominent representatives of science and culture (Lihachev D.S., Filatov A.N., Zhukovski P.M., Levinson E.A., Rudnev L.V.)

The most interesting part of collection is represented by the signs and badges of 1920-1930-s, such as the signs for excellent participants of socialist competition of various ministries and departments, the signs of the 5-year-plan shock workers, the badges of voluntary societies and organizations.

Thanks to the acquisition of rich collections of soviet badges from such ... ↓ collectors as Dunaevski M.I. and Kirillovski K.A. , the fund widely displays the badges of 1950-1970s, reflecting practically all aspects of social and cultural life of that period. ↑

Decoration with stained-glass was one of the characteristic techniques in building of mid-XIX — early XX centuries in Saint-Petersburg. Though first stained-glass windows appeared in Russia in XII century, they were not widely spread. Stained-glass boom began during the reign of Nicolas I in 1820ies.

At the end of XIX — beginning of XX century the appearance of the new ... ↓ technologies of coloring and glazing of glass brought into fashion the stained-glass pictures once again. The architects began to use stained-glass windows actively in their projects, and the city gained new stained-glass masterpieces.

The fund has about 150 examples of art Nouveau and Neoclassical stained-glass windows dating back to the period of the end of 19th — early 20th centuries. These are the works of different artists, for instance from the building 116, Fontanka emb. (architect Bosset Y.A.), from 1/3 Kamennoostrovsky pr. (architect Lidval F.I.), 60 Furshtatskaya str. (architect Shenet V.I.). The stained-glass windows were collected mainly from the reconstructed buildings. ↑

Well-made fireplaces and stoves are the adornment of any room. They bring in the atmosphere of maximum comfort and coziness. Decoration with tiles is one of the remarkable branches of applied art.

Tiled stoves played a significant role in decorating of the interiors of temples, refectory chambers and living rooms. Craftsmen took the subjects for their artworks from ... ↓ legends, national embroidery motives; they often used the plant ornament, domestic and hunting scenes.

The fund displays various types of revetment for fireplaces and stoves from the houses of Saint-Petersburg dating back to the period of late XIX — early XX centuries. Though the manufacturers of revetment for fireplaces are practically unknown (except architects- authors of interiors), the producers of stove ceramics are well-known thanks to trade-marks. The fund has the trade-marks of various manufacturers: Rakkolaniosky Pottery Mill, “Abo” Pottery Mill (in Turku), M.S.Kuznetsov’s Factory in Konakovo (Tver province) and others.

Besides the stationary fireworks with wooden, marble and tiled facing and tiled stoves, the collection displays the movable fireplaces (“kameliok”), for instance, and the “Salamander” mobile fireplace (France). ↑

Ceramics was used in decoration of interiors and exteriors from ancient times. The greatest application of ceramics in architecture took place in modernist and neo-russian styles, which developed in late XIX — early XX centuries. Using ceramics in interiors gave high quality besides aesthetic effect, since ceramics was solid, weather-resisting and non-fading. It looked great combined with metal, ... ↓ wooden and even marble elements of constructions.

The fund has elements of ceramic facades of the buildings of Saint-Petersburg. These are the products of P.K. Vaulin’s and O.O.Geldvein’s ceramics workshops, the items from the buildings of architect N.N.Nikonov, etc.

Decorative ceramic panels of various forms were often placed in interiors. The fund displays ceramic panels made by artist A.N. Danov.

Doors appear to be the integral part of exteriors and interiors. The historical transformation of doors can be traced in Russian architecture. The Russian style was replaced by European baroque followed by rococo and classicism and gradually rounded into modern. The fund has many doors of late XIX — early XX centuries. The collection displays the doors of various styles and origin. The production of Meltzer’s workshop is of special interest. ↑

Various groups of sanitary ware of different firms and countries form the fund.

There is an interesting collection of w.c. pans and wash-bowls of English firms «Schill Seebohm & Co Ltd» and «Cauldon», the w.c.pan «Gladiator» bundled with a tank painted with blue cobalt in decalcomania technique.

The fund has marble wash-bowls, decorated by ... ↓ decalcomania method, and a number of granite, marble and metal baths. The faucets of various modifications, forms and constructions are included into the collection. ↑

The collection of decorative and industrial metal products of the fund includes park and garden fences, balcony barriers, holders of entrance canopies, street lamps, manhole covers, fireplace portals and furnaces, oven doors.

The elements of bridge decorations (the Anichkov, the Blagoveshensky bridges), the elements of the dome of the Smolny cathedral are also in the fund. ... ↓

All these industrial products demonstrate the artistic and historical beauty of casting and forging in urban environment. ↑

The models, kept in the fund, illustrate all the periods of development St.Petersburg as a city. They cover the period from the epoch of Peter the Great (for example, houses for different social classes) up to the second part of XX century, where one can find the projects of the Lenin stadium (1946), models “Planning of the Haven area” of 1950-ies, “Project of the 19-storey building of the 137th ... ↓ series in Belgorodskaya street” (1974), etc.

There are also reconstruction models showing the city of various historical periods, for instance the model “Area reclamation in the middle of XVIIIc.”

The fund has a number of layouts on domestic topics, such as “Corner flat of workers in the second part of XIXc.”.

The models of the Oreshek fortress of different historical periods— the XVIc., XVIIIc., beginning of XXc. (before 1914, when it was a prison), and the period of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are also displayed in the fund.

Besides the construction and domestic models there are theatrical layouts — “The first stage of the tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse” in the Theatre fof Young Spectators, 1922”, the scenery for the play “Home”, 1980, by the artist Kochergin E.S. On basis of our models one can trace the development retrospective of St. Petersburg. ↑

More than 100 units.
The collection of travel supplies includes luggage trunks, suitcases, handbags, hat boxes and devices that can make life of travellers pleasant and easy.

Moving from place to place was an essential part of the lifestyle in the 19th century. Treatment, visiting relatives and friends, moving from winter flat to summer house and back were the ... ↓ reasons to go. The duration of the trip was influenced by weather, road conditions and other external conditions. The trip from St. Petersburg to Moscow in a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh could last about 4 days. Passenger transport by steamers and by rail reduced the duration of trips a lot, but they still required a lot of preparation.

A kind of road lifestyle was formed, which indispensable accessories were a variety of chests and boxes, road secretary-boxes with items for writing, with caches for storage of especially important papers. Travelers used drawers with compartments for tea, vessels for drinks, first-aid kits.

To protect things made of brittle materials, the lining of velvet or silk on cotton was used. Thanks to this lining and strong body a lot of fragile items from the road boxes and bags reached our days in excellent condition. This proves once again the highest level of quality of the old masters.

Traffic boxes-chests, widely existed not only in Russia but also in Western Europe. They are vividly described in the works of Russian writers — A.S.Pushkin (“The Captain's Daughter), V.S.Sologub ("Tarantas"), N.V.Gogol ("Dead Souls"), L.N.Tolstoy ("Long Drive"), etc. ↑

More than 400 items.
The collection of foreign and Russian toys of the XIX – XX centuries is small (200 units), but quite various in origin, place of manufacture and artistic merits. A typical example of expensive toy for urban children is a doll with a porcelain head and body made of leather, fabric, papier-mache. Since 1880 dolls with children's proportions prevailed in production. ... ↓ Until 1920-ies these toys were produced abundantly. Then they were replaced by dolls made of celluloid, popular in 1930-1950.

Young children like toys of the simplest designs, such as horses on platforms with wheels or rocking horses. Design of these toys has changed little to the present time. Children of noble families liked more complicated mechanical toys with musical arrangements popular in the second half of the XIX century. Often they became family heirlooms and were cherished as a memory from childhood.

Board games and alphabets are invaluable sources for studying the life of the child of the past (about 200 units). This section presents such integral parts of world culture as chess, checkers, bingo, dominoes, cards. The Board game "Halma-Eckha" became popular in the late nineteenth century. Its roots lead to the Far East, to Chinese checkers — the game considered to be of a strategic nature. Board games, often being collective, develop the child's logical thinking, show different ways of training and education.

Computer games appeared in the end of XX century and started to replace and move the Board games into the background. That is why the collection of the Museum is of great interest from the point of view of the history of education and culture. ↑

The collection includes more than 130 items among which are the examples of mass production and unique pieces.

The bulk of the collection consists of samovars made in the second half of the nineteenth century in Tula at the factories of Batashev, Vorontsov, Reinhold and Emil Tejle, Shemarin brothers. There are also samovars with hallmarks of the Moscow, Saint Petersburg ... ↓ and Warsaw masters.

The tradition of Russian tea drinking with samovar has evolved over more than two centuries. Since the second half of the 18th century to the present days, the samovar was a symbol of the Russian way of life. In some homes it still holds pride of place among the dining utensils.

Samovars are not only varied in their forms, but also in the material they are made of — red copper, tombac, cupronickel, brass with electroplated silver coating or nickel plating.

The Museum collection is constantly replenished with rare examples of samovars for more complete characterization of the species of decorative and applied arts of the past. ↑

The historical collection contains about 1200 different types of metal tableware and cutlery.

Among the rarest and most valuable items of the collection there is a tea set produced by the workshops of Veliky Ustyug, imitating expensive chinaware. To simulate porcelain the masters used various techniques. Metal (usually copper) shape of the objects was covered with several ... ↓ layers of white enamel. The last layer was decorated with ornamented plates of silver foil.

In the first half of the XIX century there was a decline in the area of enamel production. Products made of substitutes of silver came into fashion. They have found mass distribution in the circles of the average income of the population and in the families of noblemen and even at the Royal court.

The main centers of production of metal tableware have become such cities as Moscow, St.Petersburg and Warsaw, while the Polish companies were leading. Production in this area developed up to 1880-ies, when the technique of production of silvered metal products has reached such a high level that objects of brass and Nickel silver were almost indistinguishable from real silver. The collection includes 30 of tableware made at famous Warsaw factory of products made of cladding silver and Nickel silver “Fraget”, founded by brothers Alphonse and Joseph Fraget in 1824. A tea set in the "Old Russian style" is considered to be the work of jewelry art. It was made in the workshop of F. K. Yartsev (1888, Moscow).

"Russian style" created a whole line in the production of art objects made of silver. Numerous factories and workshops of gold and silversmiths have created cutlery, tea and coffee sets using forms and decorative motifs borrowed from folk and ancient Russian art.

In the twentieth century dominated inexpressive stamped cutlery made of stainless steel, aluminum, in the best case of Nickel silver. But these items also have historical value, therefore they are included in the collection and exhibited in the Museum. ↑

The collection includes more than 500 samples of souvenir and gift products that are associated with important events of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern Russia – from the cup on the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II up to the egg "Saint-Petersburg", created recently in the workshop of Theo Faberge and gifted to our city.

Souvenirs reflect national ... ↓ characteristics and artistic traditions. Handicrafts were always very popular in our country: wooden utensils with bright Khokhloma painting, wooden Bogorod toys and Dymkovo toys of painted clay, articles of papier-mache with miniature painting, etc.

Among the gifts of utilitarian purpose there are printed items: notebooks, albums and other stationery goods.

A significant part of the collection form the gifts received by St.Petersburg from various organizations and representatives of Russia and foreign countries. This section was significantly enlarged after the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in 2003 — 30 gifts were transferred to the Museum. ↑

About 1,600 units.
Product packaging is a very important tool to influence consumers, so every manufacturer pays special attention to it. Factory packaging with artwork began from the second half of the XIX century. From this period the packaging has become a carrier of advertising information.

Packaging the late XIX – early XX centuries (250 items) used a ... ↓ variety of shapes, colors, textures. Particularly original was the packaging of confectionery products. Large factories had their own workshops for the production of packaging. Smaller companies had to order packaging at special factories. In St. Petersburg it was the "Institution of Graphic Arts. Colour lithography by E. I. Marcus" and "Factory for metal products and colour lithography on tin by G. Haimovich".

Printing, embossing, metallochromy were used in manufacturing. The level of skill and artistic merit of this production are very different. Distinguished artists of the association "World of art" took part in the creation of the packaging along with ordinary graphic designers. However, due to the fact that designing "sticker" was not prestigious, nearly all works in this area are unnamed.

In 20-ies of XX century in Soviet Russia old forms and ways of decoration in packaging were used sometimes, but it was only inertia.

The collection of postwar packaging is the most extensive (approximately 1300 units) and it is interesting from the point of view of completeness of information about enterprises and product manufacturers.

Nowdays  with the new possibilities of printing, production of fancy packaging was resumed. Among the recent arrivals are about 30 units of packaging of goods, released for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. ↑

Collection of inkstands has about 200 items of Russian and foreign production, made in different historical styles. Especially valuable are the author's and memorial items.
  
First inkstands appeared with the creation of thin canvases, such as parchment and papyrus. In Egypt and China ink for writing was made of soot and ... ↓ oil. From the III century of our era a similar composition was used in Rome and Greece.

As the inkstand one could use any suitable vessel: earthenware bowls, horns inserted in the top of the table, chemist's vials. But most often the vessel for ink was made on purpose, having at first the simple form of cylinder, cube, jug, glass.

For centuries the appearance of the inkstands has changed. In XVIII-XIX centuries the production and variety of inkwells increased — from the massive inkstands, which occupied the central place on the desk, to road devices with ink pots. A variety of metals, glass, porcelain, marble, horn, semi-precious stones were used as a material.

Mass production of inkwells was organized not only in numerous bronze casting workshops, but also in large jewelry companies having the title of Suppliers of the Imperial court – Sazikov, Ovchinnikov, Khlebnikov, Grachev brothers, Faberge. Exceptional craftsmanship of manufacturers quite often turned utilitarian objects into works of art, which were used not only directly, but also to decorate the interiors of offices, libraries and boudoirs.

Inkstands were very common gifts during the XIX –XX centuries. The shops of St. Petersburg have always had a rich selection of these products, designed for different tastes and financial possibilities. ↑

The collection of caskets has more than 250 objects of various shapes, styles and materials.

Caskets of papier-mache with lacquer paintings form a separate group of about 30 units. The art of lacquer painting originated in China and then spread to Korea, Japan, countries of Indochina, India and Persia. In Europe workshops for the production of articles painted in the ... ↓ Chinese style appeared in the XVII century. In Russia the production technology of similar products was developed in the late XVIII century.

The leading position in Russia was undoubtedly occupied by the factory of merchants Lukutins near Moscow. They managed not only to organize the production, but made it deeply traditional.

The factory founded in the late XVIII century by merchant P.I.Korobov in the suburban village of Danilkovo (adjacent to Fedoskino and later merged with it) released lacquered visors for headgear of the Russian army. This factory began to produce caskets. In 1818 the factory passed to Korobov’s daughter, and in 1824 to his son-in-law P.V.Lukutin.

A snuff box with genre scene in the Chinese style comes from the early lacquerware of the Lukutin factory. Oriental theme was often used in lacquerpaints of 1830-1840's. Peter Lukutin changed the subject of lacquer miniatures focusing on the Russian theme which became popular in the second half of the XIX century.

In miniature painting of Lukutin’s artists a series of images of traders, haymakers, peddlers and other typical representatives of the Russian people have appeared. The popularity of the products of the Lukutin factory was in the XIX century so great that all the papier-mache lacquerware made in workshops near Moscow became known as Lukutin’s.

After the closure of the factory in 1904 hard times began for lacquerware art. In 1910 with the support of Fund of Sergey Timofeyevich Morozov the "Fedoskino labour artel" was established for former masters of Lukutin’s factory.

The work of this artel in 1940-1950 has been focused mainly on copying of works of V.M.Vasnetsov, V.G.Perov, V.I.Surikov and other artists. Most talanted artists have created their own compositions.

A casket with the views of Leningrad holds a special place in the collection. It is the gift of a group of artists of the Fedoskino cooperative to the 250 anniversary of the city.

One of the latest arrivals in this section of the collection was the box by artist A. Petrov with a miniature view of the Point of the Vasilevsky island inspired by the engravings of XVII-XIX centuries. ↑

More than 2000 units.
The items (over 200 units), received from the collections of the Museum of Old Petersburg (founded in 1907) and the Museum of the City (founded in 1918) formed the beginning of the collection of Russian porcelain.

Vases, decorative dishes, plates with the views of St. Petersburg, table sets, tea and coffee sets made at the state and ... ↓ private plants of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod and other cities of the Russian Empire.

The collection contains both serial products and custom-made individual items. It could be decorative dishes, glasses, Easter eggs, miniatures on porcelain. The collection is updated with the objects that existed in the apartments of the citizens of St.Petersburg. ↑

More than 2,500 units.
Chronological beginning of this section is presented by the items of propaganda porcelain (1918-mid 1930s) – a new direction in art, aimed to serve the promotion of the young Soviet state. The porcelain of this period was produced in minor quantities - no more than 300 copies, and was intended mainly for exhibiting at numerous international exhibitions. ... ↓

A separate complex of over 200 units comprise the items of 1920-1940-ies: commemorative plates with various inscriptions and tea and coffee sets. The uniqueness of this section is themed selection of things that are directly related to important historical events, such as the blockade things of the Leningradians: kettle, stove, plates, Christmas toys - colored light bulbs with colored pictures.

A group of products dating back to 1950 - 2000-ies forms a large section: teapots, coffee pots, tea and coffee couples, bowls, plates, dishes, biscuit dishes, butter dishes, vases, children's services, performed at the variety of faience and porcelain domestic plants, many of which were closed in the 1990-ies.

Sculpture forms a separate group of the collection. From the first years of the Soviet power, the government has paid attention not only to the portrait images of the party members, members of the military events and workers: pioneers at work, children making birdhouses, airplanes, reading books, walking in pairs or with their parents. Sculptors turned to the theme of childhood in relief compositions on the boxes and vases.

Sculpture of the 1950's - 1990's was a form of agitation, propaganda, holiday and everyday events in the life of the country. In the sculpture of this period the most important topics that were discussed in the society were reflected: ballet, theater, sports. During this period the plants of the country established for mass and serial production the narrative sculptures from classical literature, fairy tales and stories about animals.

Leningrad ceramics of 1950 - 2000-ies is represented by the works of artists-ceramists: V. Vasylkovsky, V. Gorislavtsev, V. Gorodetsky, M. Kopylkov, V. Markov, N. Rotanova, N. Savinova, L. Sokolov, I. Tarasyuk, V. Tsywin, V. Tsygankov. Their works are marked with individual approach to different topics and create their own unique atmosphere. Each master is an innovator and researcher in the field of ceramics and paints. This group is numerous and displays diverse topics. ↑

More than 2000 items.
This section is represented by the products made in the end of XVIII - beginning of the XXI century at the factories of Western Europe.

The beginning of the collection of foreign porcelain were the items (over 100 units) received from the collections of the Museum of Old Petersburg (founded in 1907) and the Museum of the City (founded ... ↓ in 1918). These items include vases, decorative dishes, plates, dinner sets, tea and coffee couples and were carried out at foreign state and private enterprises. In the Museum's collection there are the products of the Copenhagen, Meissen and Sevres plants, Staffordshire factories, ceramic productions of Dowlton and Minton. This is the most well-known large enterprises.

Significant group consists of little-known shops and factories that existed briefly — from 2 to 10 years. Many of them did not put their marks on objects but inflicted the trademarks of agencies that were required in the period to sell the product.

Russia and the West always had historical, economic and political ties. Because of that many homes of the citizens obtained the products of ceramic enterprises of England, America, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Poland, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, as well as in private apartments in the West you can find the articles of Russian porcelain plants.

Objects of applied art of the Western Europe often became the models. Many Russian factories started with copying artistic samples from Germany and France. In turn, foreign masters produced artworks for Russia, mainly souvenir species with the views of the Russian cities — St. Petersburg, Odessa, Moscow. The interest of Europe for Russia was associated with the rapid growth of Russian cities (for example Petersburg and its surroundings), as well as the interest for the ancient monuments of the Orthodox Russian cities. ↑

More than 3000 items.
This section includes the products made at Russian and foreign factories in the XIX and XXI centuries.

A small group form the items from the collections of the Museum of Old Petersburg (founded in 1907) and the Museum of the City (founded in 1918). For example, a glass with the engraved image of the panorama of Nevsky Prospekt from the ... ↓ Anichkov Palace to Admiralty; glasses and vases with the views of the Kazan Cathedral, the Spit of Vasilyevsky island, depicting the building of the Stock Exchange and Rostral columns.In this section the items are very diverse in their purpose: vases, dinner sets, products for domestic use - decanters, jugs, jars, siphons, food containers.

This section includes samples of the pharmacy - perfume and bottle products from the nineteenth century to the present day. It is the largest section of the collection numbering about 1700 samples. Most of them were produced by plants, which became known as the "Suppliers to the Court of His Imperial Majesty".

A small collection presents examples of French firms Galle, Daum brothers, unknown German masters. As many glass factories in Russia were closed in the 1990-ies, the value of such collection is undeniable. The collection is constantly updated with the products of the modern glass industry. ↑

More than 1000 units.
Gifts were received from various community organizations and individuals with regard to the various anniversaries of the city.

The Museum's collection includes gifts from the representatives of Leningrad - Petersburg, Kronstadt, Novgorod, Odessa, Mongolia, Central Asian republics, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, United Arab ... ↓ Emirates, France, England, Germany, Finland, Hungary and many others.

Items in this section are of exceptional value because their circulation is always limited from 50 to 500 units, and the products were not used in mass production. The items are of different purpose — vases, pitchers, table decorations, sculptures, tea pairs. They were performed at porcelain and glass factories.

The collection "the Gift to Stalin" has the exceptional historical significance. It was acquired by the Museum in 1956 from the State Historical Museum of Moscow - vases, decorative dishes, sculptures. This complex is formed on the basis of the gifts from foreign workers ' delegations.

A large section of collection is formed by the gifts from the residents of Leningrad - St. Petersburg. This is the products of the XIX-XXI centuries. Items are generally in good condition. Obviously, they have stayed in apartments and people took care of them. Hard historical path - the revolution of 1917, the Civil and the Great Patriotic wars, 1990-ies.

Nevertheless, glassware and porcelain come from many citizens, many of whom want their things to be presented in Museum collections. A significant role in the creation of the collection belongs to artists - ceramists whose exhibitions are held at the Museum and its branches. These are signed original works - decorative dishes, vases, panels. ↑

This section is a part of the collection of the Fund dating back to the period of "Slavic colonization" of the North-West, the times of close contacts of the Slavs with the Finno-Ugric tribes and the Normans, and the formation of Ancient Russia.

These are the complexes of objects found at archeological excavations of the settlement Gordets near Luga (IX-XIII ... ↓ centuries) and Kamno, the settlement near Pskov (VIII-IX centuries): agricultural tools; household items — knives, bone awls, one-sided matched ridges, numerous fragments of molded ceramics and pottery; weapons — arrowheads, darts, crossbow bolts; women's jewelry — fibulas, temple rings, glass and bronze bracelets, rings, necklaces. Interesting findings, showing the development of the jewelry craft in Kamno are crucibles, ladles for molten metal and cast stone forms.

The burial grounds of the Izhora plateau (XII-XV centuries) are presented by the objects from archaeological excavations at the villages Begunitsy, Laskowice, Dymise, etc. These include a variety of jewelry — necklaces, bracelets, temple rings, fibulas, etc.

A special culture, different from the ancient monuments of the Izhora plateau, is represented by the finds from burial mounds of South East Ladoga region (IX-XIII CC.), containing jewelry, beads and weapons, including fibulas and swords of the Viking age.

Baltic substrate can be observed in the material from excavation of burial ground Zalahtovie, located near the Chudskoye lake with such characteristic subjects as male and female jewelry, weapons, etc. ↑

Collection of items from Oreshek and Ivangorod is the largest in the Fund (about 7000 units from Oreshek and 2000 units from Ivangorod). It gives an idea about the history and culture of these cities-fortresses, since the moment of their construction (Oreshek in the XIV century, Ivangorod in XV century), covering the prosperous epoch of the powerful Novgorod-the-Great (Oreshek), the times of the ... ↓ Moscow Rus, the period of Swedish occupation and the development of cities up to XVIII century.

Complexes of objects characterize various activities of the residents of these cities. For example, weapons — battle axes, arrowheads and spearheads, fragments of arquebuses, cannon balls, grapeshot, bullets; household equipment — axes, craft tools, lump fragments, nails, millstones, grinding stones; household items — locks, keys, whorls, a variety of numerous fragments of cooking pots, bowls and jugs, fragments of birch-bark containers, spindles, rushlight holders.

Items related to the period of occupation of Oreshek by Swedes are of special interest: coins, fragments of stove tiles and the argil pipes. Some subjects show that the citizens of Oreshek were engaged in navigation and fishing. These are sinkers, floats (of different forms made of birch-bark and of the bark of trees), hooks, and details of boats: paddles, wooden frames, seats etc. On some birch-bark floats there are the characters, which probably served as family labels. A number of items indicate the developed trade – the Rhine vessel, details of weights, trading lead seals, branded ingot of commodity cast steel. Rare finds include items such as headgear, pocket tool (harp), children's toys. ↑

Collection of objects is connected directly with the city of St. Petersburg since its foundation.

This section includes items found during archaeological excavations at the Peter-and-Paul fortress and the historical part of city, during the restoration works in the architectural monuments, and found as lifting material during excavation works as well as the objects coming ... ↓ from private collections.

The beginning of this section was laid by the items from archaeological excavations on the Spit of the Vasilyevsky island fulfilled by the founder of archeology of St. Petersburg A. D. Grach in 1952. ↑

About 4500 items.
Russian household furniture of the XIX-XX centuries forms the bulk of the collection. The most valuable group are the items produced at the famous St. Petersburg furniture workshops: G. Gambs, F.F.Melzer, G.V.Buchtger, S.P.Zimin, as well as the items, based on sketches by famous architects L. Ruska, V. Stasov.

The collection also includes ... ↓ bent furniture by following companies — "Thonet Brothers” (нем. “Gebrüder Thonet” ), " Jacob & Josef Kohn", "Wojciechow".

The collection features unique artworks. These are the items made in the "marquetry" technique, items decorated with artistic bronze casting and carving.

Our furniture collection allows us to create a variety of interiors for the exhibitions and expositions, demonstrates a variety of shapes, designs, artistic decoration. ↑

More than 800 items.
This section of the collection is varied in composition. It includes products made of gilded or patinated bronze, intended for the decoration of the front interiors, and utilitarian lighting of the the most common types: candlesticks, chandeliers, sconces, lanterns, floor lamps made of different materials (metal, porcelain, glass, wood, stone).
... ↓
The chronological scope of the section – the end of XVIII - the second half of the XX century. The collection includes products of factories and workshops of I.A. Kumberg, F. Melzer, A. Makarov, Vishnevsky Brothers, I. Serkovsky and others.

Also in the collection there are items from the Western Europe, mostly with stamps of the Berlin firms - Carl Holy, Ehrich&Graetz, Schneider, Brenner.

An extremely varied collection of kerosene lamps in the forms of cups or bowls with relief decoration, in the forms of vases made of colored laminated glass with polychrome paintings is stored in the fund.

The collection of electric lighting of the modern period (end of XIX - beginning of XX centuries) is of great interest. These are table lamps or chandeliers decorated with inlays of colored glass. ↑

More than 400 units.
This section of the collection of objects of decorative art presents a variety of clocks — table, floor, wall clocks and wrist watches.

In the collection you can see the clocks made in the XVIII–XX centuries by the West-European manufacturers and also by the companies that had stores and branches in St. Petersburg (P. Buhre, F. Winter, ... ↓ H.Moser, Lenzkirch) together with the watches made by the main Russian watchmaking industry — the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, the First and Second Moscow Watch Factories, as well as the Orel and the Penza plants, etc. ↑

This section is the most diverse in its composition. The word accessory (fr. accessoire) is of French origin and refers to a small item, the associated object, supplementing the costume and allowing you to create one complete ensemble.

The collection includes women's, men's and kid's costume accessories of various purposes, dating back to the period from XVIIIth century ... ↓ to the present time (day, evening, wedding, mourning, uniform accessories): bags, purses, fans, umbrellas and walking sticks, gloves, shawls, ties, collars and cuffs, waistbands, belts and buckles, jewelry, pins for hats, hair combs, etc.

One of the most interesting parts of the section of the accessories is the collection of fans, numbering about 200 exhibits. They are of various types (plie, brise, cocarde, pliant, palmette), various methods of mount (a l’anglaise a la sultane), for various purposes (daytime and evening, wedding, ball, promotional, souvenir, funeral, etc.) and are of interest as works of decorative art. ↑

Costume (lat. costume) - can mean clothes in general or distinctive style in clothing reflecting the social, national, regional belonging. Being an important part of the history of material and spiritual culture, it combines various kinds of decorative and applied arts — weaving, lace making, jewelry, embroidery, ornamentation, etc.

Clothing is a direct symbol of being ... ↓ an individual person, a specific group, nation or the whole era. Clothing characterizes and completes the picture of society at every stage of its development.

The suit is a harmonious ensemble that represents a system of elements, designed not only to protect people from the effects of the environment, but also to identify his personality through information and aesthetic properties.

The costume collection includes samples of urban women's, men's and children's clothing from the XVIIIth century to the present day: morning, day, evening and night gowns, lower and upper garments, various uniforms, including the First and Second world war uniforms, folk, theatrical and masquerade costumes, clothing of the clergy, professional costume, shoes, hats. ↑

Memorial complex is an important part of the collection of the costume and fabrics. Memorial мuseum objects mean items associated with the important historical events or historical persons.
In the context of the collection Fund these persons are honored workers of science and art of the late XIX – early XX centuries, poets and writers; soldiers of the First and Second World wars, ... ↓ Heroes of the Soviet Union, the defenders and residents of thebesieged Leningrad.

Social significance of the historical event or person makes a memorial subject one of the most important manifestations of social memory. The emotional impact of the memorial museum object, a sense of belonging to memorial person or event makes this memorial subject to be of special museum value among other similar (typological) objects of the collection.

Items in this section of the Fund are also of considerable artistic and historical value. The collection consists of items belonging to prominent historical personalities: A.A.Blok, M.V.Matyushin, I.O.Dunaevsky, A.A.Bryantsev, L.A.Orbeli, D.S.Likhachev, A.E.Fersman, A.V.German, V.N.Pchelintsev, E.P.Korchagina-Alexandrovskaya, the leading artists of the Bolshoi Drama theatre named after M.Gorky, Opera and Ballet theatre named after S.M.Kirov (the Mariinsky theatre), the actors and actresses of cinema, musicians, etc. ↑

The fund presents mechanical musical instruments, musical boxes with scores and removable drives, phonographs and gramophones, dating back to the end of XIX — beginning of XX century

The fund presents different groups of musical instruments, dating back to the beginning and middle of the twentieth century - pianos, harmoniums, violins, guitars, harmonics, brass and percussion musical instruments of various domestic and foreign firms.

Collection of gramophone records of our Fund is extensive and diverse. We present the production of many well-known domestic and foreign manufacturers of gramophone records of XX century. There are early examples of records, made on the basis of shellac.

The first reliable and convenient model of a typewriter appeared in 1873. The Remington factory began its production .

Currently the collection of typewriters has 107 items dating back to 1870-1990-ies.

The collection of calculating and computing machines consists of 45 items, including one of the first arithmometers, invented by Theophilus Odner ... ↓ in 1874. ↑

Physical devices and chemical laboratory glassware (items associated with the names of famous scientists - I.P. Pavlov, I.M.Sechenov, A.E.Favorski, S. V. Lebedev and others).

The collection consists of 79 items. These are mainly household sewing machines, but there are also industrial ones. 34 companies producing sewing machines in the period 1870-1990-ies are represented in this collection.

The fund includes cars, motorcycles and bicycles, as well as a collection of models, representing different kinds of sea, river, electric, rail and road transport and animal traction.

The fund presents different types of film and photo cameras, enlargers, meters and devices for processing and printing: timers, processing tanks, mounting frames, etc.

The collection presents the microscopes ( 51 item dating back to 1870 - 1973-ies), binoculars - 58 items ( 1820-1981-ies), telescopes - 8 subjects (the end of XIX century - 1910-ies)

The collection includes surgical, gynecological and other tools, a variety of instruments for measuring pressure, cardiac, ophthalmic and other instruments, including the equipment of the dental office of the late XIX century

Collection of the weight measures consists of 160 items and includes the steelyards, beam, spring, analytical and postal scales. The collection of linear measures includes meters, yards, roulettes, etc., - 105 items (1860-1970-ies)

The Fund presents a collection of various radio equipment: radios, speakers, collections of telegraph and telephone apparatus, TV-sets dating back to the end 1930-1980-ies.

More than 1 000 units of storage.
The unique collection of banners (47 items) of the St. Petersburg handicraft workshops of XVIII-XIX centuries forms the basis of the collection. These were acquired in 1923 from the City administration.

The Fund widely presents military banners of the XIX-XX centuries; civil banners: banners of various enterprises and ... ↓ institutions of Soviet period (the section of the 1920-ies - 1930-ies is particularly interesting); banners of schools, universities, student groups, public and sports organizations of Leningrad of the second half of XX century; election campaign materials of political nature: the slogans, banners, flags; emblems: pennants, flags, arm-bandages, lapel ribbons, badges, ribbons, etc. ↑

5 000 units. Includes typical subjects of interior: floor and wall carpets, decorative panels, tapestries, fireplace screens, tablecloths, lace products, sewing, beading, embroidery, etc.

1 300 units